Gautier d'Arras (died c. 1185,

Arras Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, which forms part of the regions of France, region of Hauts-de-France; before the regions of France#Reform and mergers of ...

) was a Flemish or

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

'' trouvère''. He is called ''Galterus attrebatensis'' or ''Walterus de Altrebat'' in many contemporary Latin documents, the first of which dates from 1160, where he is mentioned as a property owner in Arras (Atrebatum in Latin). Gautier appears to have been a knight of Arras who between 1160 and 1170 held many important fiefs of

St. Vaast's Abbey The Abbey of St Vaast (french: Abbaye de Saint-Vaast) was a Benedictine monastery situated in Arras, ''département'' of Pas-de-Calais, France. History The abbey was founded in 667. Saint Vedast, or Vaast (c. 453–540) was the first Bishop ...

and between 1166 and 1185 was an official at the court of Philip of Flanders. An apparent will is known dating from 1185, in which his wife Agnes and oldest son Roger are named. He dedicated his romance of ''Eracle'' to Theobald V, Count of Blois (d. 1191); among his other patrons were Marie, countess of Champagne, daughter of

Louis VII Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger, or the Young (french: link=no, le Jeune), was King of the Franks from 1137 to 1180. He was the son and successor of King Louis VI (hence the epithet "the Young") and married Duchess ...

and Eleanor of Guienne and

Baldwin IV, Count of Hainaut Baldwin IV (1108 – 8 November 1171) was count of Hainaut from 1120 to his death. Baldwin IV was the son of Count Baldwin III of Hainaut and Yolande de Wassenberg.Gislebertus (of Mons), ''Chronicle of Hainaut'', transl. Laura Napran, (The Boydel ...

. ''Eracle'', the hero of which becomes emperor of Constantinople as

Heraclius Heraclius ( grc-gre, Ἡράκλειος, Hērákleios; c. 575 – 11 February 641), was Eastern Roman emperor from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the exarch of Africa, led a revolt ...

, is purely a ''roman d'aventures'' and enjoyed great popularity. His second romance, ''Ille et Galeron'', dedicated to

Beatrix Beatrix is a Latin feminine given name, most likely derived from ''Viatrix'', a feminine form of the Late Latin name ''Viator'' which meant "voyager, traveller" and later influenced in spelling by association with the Latin word ''beatus'' or "bles ...

, the second wife of

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on ...

, treats of a similar situation to that outlined in the lay of ''Eliduc'' by

Marie de France Marie de France (fl. 1160 to 1215) was a poet, possibly born in what is now France, who lived in England during the late 12th century. She lived and wrote at an unknown court, but she and her work were almost certainly known at the royal court o ...

. See the ''Œuvres de Gautier d'Arras'', ed. E Løseth (2 vols, Paris, 1890); ''Hist. litt. de la France'', vol. xxii (1852); A Dinaux, ''Les Trouvères'' (1833-1843), vol. iii.

References

* * F. A. G. Cowper, ''More Data on Gautier d'Arras'', PMLA, Vol. 64, No. 1 (Mar., 1949), pp. 302–316 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gautier DArras 12th-century births 1180s deaths French poets French male poets